Mobile Touch-Generating Device and Communication with a Touchscreen

1. A mobile touch-generating device comprising: a logic system; a photodetector system operatively coupled to the logic system; and a touch-generating system including one or more touch-generating elements, wherein the touch-generating system is operatively coupled to the logic system, the logic system being configured to generate touch events via said one or more touch-generating elements in response to an optical signal detected via the photodetector system, the touch events being detectable by a touchscreen.

2. The mobile touch-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the touch-generating system includes at least two touch-generating elements.

3. The mobile touch-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more touch-generating elements include respective conductive electrodes and the touch-generating system includes a circuitry connected to said electrodes via one or more switches, allowing for closing the circuitry and draining electrical charge from said electrodes.

4. The mobile touch-generating device of claim 1 , further configured such that the mobile touch-generating device can rest on a touchscreen of a personal digital assistant or PDA, with the touch-generating elements in close proximity with the touchscreen of the PDA.

5. A system comprising: a touchscreen device having a touchscreen; and a mobile touch-generating device; such touch-generating device comprising a logic system; a photodetector system operatively coupled to the logic system; and a touch-generating system including one or more touch-generating elements, said touch-generating system operatively coupled to the logic system; wherein the logic system, in response to an optical signal detected via the photodetector system, configures the touch-generating system to generate, via one or more touch-generating elements thereof, touch events which are detectable by the touchscreen.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein: the touchscreen device is a personal digital assistant (PDA); and the mobile touch-generating device is configured such that the mobile touch-generating device can rest on the touchscreen, with the touch-generating elements in close proximity with the touchscreen, and spanning an area smaller than a surface of the touchscreen.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein: the touchscreen device is configured to display, via the touchscreen, an image modulated in at least one of space and time; and the system photodetector operatively coupled to the logic of the mobile touch-generating device configured to detect the displayed image, the logic being configured to generate touch events in response to the image detected.

8. A method of bidirectional communication between a mobile touch-generating device and a touchscreen device, wherein the mobile touch-generating device is equipped with a detector system operatively coupled to a logic system of the mobile touch-generating device and wherein the touchscreen device comprises interface means including a touchscreen, the interface means being adapted for communicating with the mobile touch-generating device, the method comprising the steps of: issuing at least one instruction to emit a signal via said interface means; generating, by the logic system, touch events using touch-generating elements of the mobile touch-generating device; and receiving touch events via the touchscreen, wherein touch events are generated in response to the signal detected via the detector system, and said at least one instruction is issued in response to receiving touch events via the touchscreen.

9. The method of claim 8 , further including, at a cycle n: receiving via the touchscreen an n th sequence of touch events generated by the mobile touch-generating device and indicative of an n th location of the touch-generating elements; determining an n th location of the mobile touch-generating device according to the n th sequence of touch events received; issuing at least one instruction to emit an n th signal via said interface means, the n th signal having an n th set of characteristics determined according to the n th location of the touch-generating elements; and repeating the steps of receiving, determining and issuing instructions at a cycle n+1.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein issuing at least one instruction to emit a signal comprises issuing at least one instruction to display an image via the touchscreen, the image modulated in space and/or in time.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein issuing at least one instruction to emit a signal comprises issuing at least one instruction to emit a signal having a set of characteristics determined according to both a last determined location and known configuration data of the mobile touch-generating device, said configuration data indicating the arrangement of the detector system versus the one or more touch-generating elements of the touch-generating system.

12. The method of claim 11 , further including a step of receiving configuration data pertaining to a configuration of the mobile touch-generating device, said configuration data indicating the arrangement of the detector system versus the one or more touch-generating elements of the touch-generating system, and wherein receiving configuration data comprises: receiving via the touchscreen a sequence of touch events generated by the mobile touch-generating device; and determining the configuration of the mobile touch-generating device according to said sequence received.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer readable non-transitory medium having computer readable program code embodied therein or thereon, the computer readable program code being configured to cause a processing circuit to perform instructions executable by processing circuit for executing a method of bidirectional communication between a mobile touch-generating device and a touchscreen device, wherein the mobile touch-generating device is equipped with a detector system operatively coupled to the processing circuit of the mobile touch-generating device and wherein the touchscreen device comprises interface means including a touchscreen, the interface means being adapted for communicating with the mobile touch-generating device, the method comprising the steps of: issuing at least one instruction to emit a signal via said interface means; and generating, by the processing circuit, touch events using touch-generating elements of the mobile touch-generating device; receiving touch events via the touchscreen, wherein touch events are generated in response to a signal detected via the detector system, and said at least one instruction is issued in response to receiving touch events via the touchscreen.